Formafantasma in conversation with prof. Giovanni Aloi (Webinar)

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Prof. Giovanni Aloi leads a conversation with Formafantasma, a research-based design studio investigating the ecological, historical, political and social forces shaping the discipline of design today. Whether designing for a client or developing self – initiated projects, the studio applies the same rigorous attention to context, processes and details. Formafantasma’s analytical nature translates in meticulous visual outcomes, products and strategies.

Andrea Trimarchi (1983) and Simone Farresin (1980) are Formafantasma, an Italian design duo based in Milano. Their interest in product design developed on the IM master course at Design Academy Eindhoven, where they graduated in July 2009.

Prof. Giovanni Aloi is an author, educator, and curator specializing in the representation of nature in art. He has published with Columbia University Press, Phaidon, MIT, Laurence King, and Prestel. He has contributed to BBC radio programs, worked at Whitechapel Art Gallery and Tate Galleries in London, is USA correspondent for Esse Magazine, and a regular public speaker at the Art Institute of Chicago. Aloi has curated exhibitions in the US and Europe. He currently teaches modern and contemporary art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Sotheby’s Institute of Art New York and London.

Formafantasma is a research-based design studio investigating the ecological, historical, political and social forces shaping the discipline of design today. The studio was founded in 2009 by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin. The aim of the studio is to facilitate a deeper understanding of both our natural and built environments and to propose transformative interventions through design and its material, technical, social, and discursive possibilities. Working from their studio in Milan (Italy) and Rotterdam (The Netherlands), the practice embraces a broad spectrum of typologies and methods, from product design through spatial design, strategic planning and design consultancy. Whether designing to a client's brief or developing self – initiated projects, the studio applies the same rigorous attention to context, process and detail. As a result, Formafantasma's entire portfolio is characterised by a coherent visual language and meticulously researched outcomes. Trimarchi and Farresin also are the head of the GEO–Design department at Design Academy in Eindhoven, there they explore the social, economic, territorial and geopolitical forces shaping design today. 

The studio’s prescient insight into the challenges facing design, culture, the environment and society has earned them the patronage of an array of international clients such as Lexus, Flos, Fendi, Max Mara, Hermes, Droog, Nodus Rug, J&L Lobmeyr, Cassina, Bitossi, Established and Sons, La Biennale di Venezia, RijksMuseum, Dzek, Ginori, Hem, Maison Matisse, Bulgari, Samsung, Rado, Roll and Hill, Galleria Giustini / Stagetti, La Rinascente, Gallery Libby Sellers among others. 

Alongside works for clients, their projects have been presented, published and acquired in the permanent collection of international museums including New York’s MoMA and Metropolitan Museum, Art Institute Chicago, London’s Victoria and Albert, Paris’ Musée National d'Art Moderne, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, CNAP, Fondation Cartier and Centre Pompidou, the Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum, the Vienna’s MAK Museum, Utrecht’s Centraal Museum, Mudac Lausanne, North Carolina’s Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Rome’s Museo Maxxi, Vitra Design Museum, Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria, Triennale di Milano, LACMA, Tilburg’s TextielMuseum and others. 

Formafantasma is also an award-winning studio: 2021 Wallpaper* Awards Designers of the Year/Winner, 2020 Dezeen Designer of the Year/Winner, 2019 Milano Design Award/Winner, 2019 Beazley Designs of the Year/Nomination, 2018 Beazley Designs of the Year/Nomination, 2018 Hublot Award/Winner, 2018 Dezeen Awards Year/Nomination, 2018 Elle Decoration International Design Awards Designer of the Year/Winner, 2017 Limburg Design Award/Winner, 2017 Milano Design Award/Winner Press Choice and Best Technology, 2016 Elle Decoration International Design Awards Designer of the Year/Nomination, 2015 Wallpaper* Awards Top 20 under 40 Year/Winner, 2014 Wallpaper* Awards Designer of the Year/Nomination, 2014 Elle Decoration Japan Designer of the Year/Winner, 2014 TL Magazine Designer of the Year/Winner, 2013 Elle Decoration International Award/Nomination, 2012 ICON design Awards Emerging Designers of the Year/Winner, 2012 Dutch design Awards Talent Design Award/Nomination, 2012 Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards/Winner, 2012 Brit Insurance Design of the Year/Nomination, 2011 INDEX Award/Nomination.